Book mark and page holding device



June 20, 1961 F. G. ELLINGSEN BOOK MARK AND PAGE HOLDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 1, 1958 m VENTUR' BY FLORENCE 6. ELLINGSEN a). ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates generally to a book marking device and more particularly to such a device which is designed to hold the book and pages thereof in open position.

It is the general object of this invention to provide a combination book marking and page holding device designed to hold the book in open position at the desired place while permitting the same to be easily closed.

It is another object to provide such a device which is easily and quickly adjustable to fit books of various sizes.

It is still another object to provide a book marking and page holding device wherein one embodiment thereof is specifically designed for use with books having soft covers such as paper covered books.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing showing one form of my device as applied to a book having a stiff binding;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the back of the book with the covers thereof open;

Patented June 20, 1961 Page holding and marking elements are constructed of continuous elastic loops 11 which are of a size to be stretched between the ears 6a and 7a of the respective rigid elements 6 and 7. Suitable hook elements 6b'and 7b are provided on the respective elements 6 and 7 for this purpose as best shown in FIG. 3. By providing the continuous or resilient loops 11 each individual strand 11a thereof can be used to mark a different location in the book so that reference marks may also be provided. The elastic web or strap 8 is adjusted to provide sufficient tension to not only hold the rigid elements 6 and 7 securely in place but also to hold the book open as best shown in FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 an alternative form of my invention is shown. In this embodiment the rigid elements 6 and 7 for the resilient page holding members FIG. 3 is a fragmentary phantom elevational view of a corner of a book cover and showing the anchoring element illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 applied to the corner;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view with parts broken away of an alternative form of my invention; and,

FIG. 5 is an elevational view showing the form of my invention illustrated in FIG. 4 showing the outside of the covers which are in fully opened position.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings I provide a book marking device which is designed to hold the book open at the desired place and which is adapted to fit substantially any sized book.

FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate one form of this invention as applied to a book designated by the numeral 5 having the covers 5a and 5b. My book mark comprises a pair of loop-like members A and B respectively having rigid portions or elements 6 and 7 and elastic portions 11. In the form shown the rigid portions 6 and 7 are made as from any suitable stiff material such as plastic. The two elements 6 and 7 are connected by elastic means such as the fiat elastic strap 8, the length and tension of which is easily adjustable by the means used to connect the respective ends thereof to the respective anchoring elements. In the form showing each of the rigid elements has a slot 9 formed through an intermediate portion 9a thereof and the edge of each intermediate port-ion is serrated to form a plurality of teeth 10 constructed to engage and securely hold the end portion 8a of the web 8 which is doubled back and around as best shown in FIG. 2. The web 8 is inserted through the slot 9 to combine with the serrated portion and securely hold the elastic web 8 in the desired adjusted position.

Suitable flanges or gripping ears 6a and 7a are provided on the ends of the rigid elements 6 and 7 in beveled relation thereto to receive the edge portion of a book cover and securely engage the same. The elastic web 8 of course constantly maintains a corresponding tension on said ears 6a and 7a to positively anchor and position the respective anchoring elements 6 and 7 across the diagonally opposed corner portions 5c and 5d of the book covers 5a and 5b.

constitute a pair of still book covers 12 and 13. These covers are connected by an elastic web 14 to permit the spacing in between to be adjustably varied. In the form illustrated a pair of such elastic webs 14 are provided. The inside of each of the cover elements is provided with a flap 15 which is open along the inner edge thereof to permit the cover of a paper bound book or the like to be inserted under said flap 15. FIG. 4 shows such a soft cover 16 inserted under the flap 15 and securely held adjacent the cover 12 by said flap.

In this form of my invention the anchoring means for the resilient page holding elements 17 consist in a pair of diagonally opposed notches 18 formed in the edge portions of the covers 12 and 13 as illustrated. The page holding elements are again in the form of resilient loops but instead of having both strands of each loop disposed on the inside as in my previously described form, one strand is on the outside as indicated at 17a of FIG. 5, and the other strand is on the inside as indicated at 17b of FIG. 6. 'It is apparent that if this form of my invention were to be used with a stiff bound book, the notches 18 could be merely formed in the stiff covers of the book and the elastic loops retained on the covers by mountnig the same in the notches as illustrated.

It will be seen that I have provided a relatively simple yet highly efiicient book marking and page holding device which will hold the book in open position at the desired place and which will fit substantially any sized book. In both forms of my invention at least one resilient marking strand is provided to indicate a reference page by which the reader can quickly find a particular place which is frequently referred to.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportion of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which, generally stated, consists in the matters set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A book mark comprising a pair of loop like members each having a rigid portion and an elastic portion, an elastic member interconnecting said loop like members, said elastic member being connected adjacent its ends to an intermediate portion respectively of said rigid portions of said loop like members.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and the connection between said elastic member and at least one of said loop like members permitting take-up adjustment of said elastic member.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1 and the elastic portion of said loop like members consisting in a continuous elastic loop to provide a pair of elastic marking elements at each loop like member.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1904 Great Britain Aug. 5, 1929 Germany July 9, 1951 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1951 

